12 Reasons Why Knowledge Management Programs Fail?

Dr. Abdulhameed Alhosani

Many knowledge Management programs start strong with great enthusiasm and huge expectations but soon start losing the energy and end up with failure

Rate of Failed KM projects are exceeding

70%

Money and a lot of effort is consumed on technologies and state-of-the-art databases, consultancy fees, and many training hours of workshops and seminars, only to end up with bitter failure and disappointment

This is very bad news! What makes KM so hard to accomplish?

Delayed Results usually is one of the main reasons

Returns on KM are very slow to surface!!

In the beginning only activities are measured “as success factors” not real results which can in times suck energy out of people

Unclear Vision for the need of KM and …. what actually drive it and make it successful

REASON #1

KM Strategy is not aligned with the organization overall strategy

KM program is to help the business and enhance performance not as a strategic goal by itself

REASON #2

Missing or unclear KM framework that highlight required processes to the KM activities and roles and responsibilities of people involvement

REASON #3

Senior management buy-in and full believe in KM effectiveness plus support to the program is not manifest enough

REASON #4

Acknowledging KM as another IT tool for managing knowledge around the organization

REASON #5

Very minimal focus is given to roles and responsibilities which represent the people side of the program

Lack or poor organization-wide Governance for the KM program

Insurance of KM usage and applicationa) What is rewarded and how?b) What is measured and how?

REASON #6

Absence or inefficient smart

Incentive system that drives motivation among employee for creating, reusing, and sharing knowledge

REASON #7

KM activities are not linked to

People’s Performance Evaluation of such performance (appraisals) does not includes the knowledge activities metrics

REASON #8

Absence of a dedicated central KM Unit to run and manage the program

REASON #9

Absence of well trained KM representative in each department with full responsibility and direct link with the central KM unit

REASON #10

Absence or inefficient Change Management activities

REASON #11

Lack or poor

enforcement activity to cement people’s drive to continue living the KM in their daily work environment

REASON #12

How do we make KM programs stick?

Consistently Communicate the results of your program to all

stakeholders, sharing stories of how the KM program helped end users or customers in a critical situation

Knowledge management is a people’s driven practice. It is not about a state-of-the-art IT system.

Only they can make it successful